My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Results tagged ‘ Pinch Hitters ’

Surviving both a 45 mins. rain delay and a late Marlins’ rally, the Phils defeat the pesky fish, 6-4.

The Marlins took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Giancarlo Stanton hits an RBI double, knocking in Omar Infante, who had earlier singled, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. The Phils would take the lead in their half of the first as, with the bases loaded, via three straight singles by Placido Polanco, Hunter Pence and Carlos Ruiz, and with two men out, Hector Luna hits a two-run single, knocking in Polanco and Pence, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Ruiz on to third. The score would remain 2-1 through the next three innings, as Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick continuously played Houdini, escaping several Marlins attempts to either tie the game or take the lead. Before the fifth inning would start, the game was stopped as the rain came down harder, with the rain delay lasting around 45 minutes before the game resumed. After Kendrick got through the top of the fifth, the Phils would finally add to their lead in their half of the fifth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Pence hits a two-run home run, his twelfth home run of the year, knocking in Polanco, who had started the inning off with a double, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. The Marlins got a run back in the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Jose Reyes hit into a 4-3-6 doubleplay, becoming the inning’s second out, before pinch hitter Donnie Murphy, who had earlier singled, is tagged out at second base by Jimmy Rollins, while Chris Coghlan, who had earlier singled, then went to third base on Murphy’s single, would score, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 4-2. The Phils would get the run back in their half of the sixth as, with a man on third, and with one men out, Rollins hits an RBI ground out to first, three-unassisted, knocking in Freddy Galvis, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on pitch hitter Pete Orr’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead. The Phils then added to their lead in the seventh as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Luna hits an RBI double, scoring Pence, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Chad Gaudin’s wild pitch, before going to third base on Gaudin’s balk, giving the Phils a 6-2 lead, while sending Ty Wigginton, who had just walked, on to third base. The Marlins would get a run back in the eighth as Logan Morrison hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the year, cutting the Phils’ lead to 6-3. The Marlins then made it a 6-4 Phils’ lead as pinch hitter Justin Ruggiano hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season. But that would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon would pitch a five-out save, for his fifteenth save of the year, first coming in with a bases loaded, one-out situation as John Buck got on base with a walk, to be followed by singles by pinch hitter Donovan Solano and Reyes, as he got Infante to pop out to short, putting into effect the infield fly rule, then striking out Hanley Ramirez on a called third strike, followed by him throwing a scoreless ninth, getting pinch hitter Greg Dobbs to fly out to center for the game’s final out.

Kyle Kendrick (2-4, 4.02) got the win as he threw five and one-third innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and three walks, while strucking out four. Chad Qualls collected his tenth hold of the year as he threw two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. Jose Contreras pitched to one batter, before being taken out of the game with an elbow injury. Antonio Bastardo collected his eleventh hold of the season as he pitched an inning, plus three batters, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk. Jake Diekman received his second hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon collected his fifteenth save of the year as he threw an inning and two-thirds, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Mark Buehrle (5-5, 3.53) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up four runs on eleven hits, while he struck out two. Chad Gaudin pitched two innings, giving up two runs on three hits, a walk, a wild pitch and a balk, while striking out a batter. Randy Choate and Ryan Webb combined for a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the game, with Placido Polanco (2 Singles, Double), Hunter Pence (2 Singles, Home Run, 2 RBIs) and Carlos Ruiz (2 Singles, Double) all leading the ballclub with three hits each, followed by Hector Luna (Single, Double, 3 RBIs) with two hits. Jimmy Rollins (Single, RBI), Ty Wigginton (Single) and Freddy Galvis (Double) had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils also had a walk in the game.

The Phils (28-25, 5th) will continue their series with the Marlins (29-23, T-2nd) with a game later this afternoon. The game, which will be nationally televised by Fox Sports, will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and will start at 4:05 pm EDT. Cole Hamels (8-1, 2.43) is coming off a win against the Mets on May 28, where he went eight innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 8-4 win. Hamels will be going for his ninth win of the year. The Marlins will counter with Ricky Nolasco (5-3, 4.26), who is coming off a lost to the Giants on May 27, as he threw seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out two, in the Marlins’ 3-2 lost. He will be trying to even up the series. The Phils will be out to make Hamels the majors’ first nine-game winner.

The Phils explode for nine runs in the last three innings, including five coming in on a pair of home runs, as they defeated the Mets, 10-6.

The Mets took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, David Wright hits an RBI double, knocking in Daniel Murphy, who had just walked, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the second as Ty Wigginton hits a lead-off home run, his fifth home run of the season. The Mets retook the lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Lucas Duda hits a two-run home run, his sixth home run of the year, scoring Scott Hairston, who had earlier doubled, giving the Mets a 3-1 lead. The Phils would retie the game up at three-all in the seventh as, with one man on, and with two men out, pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the season, knocking in Brian Schneider, who had just doubled. The Phils would take the lead in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Shane Victorino hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Juan Pierre, who had started the inning off with a single, then went to third base on Hunter Pence’s single, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. The Phils would take a commanding lead in the ninth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits a three-run home run, knocking in pinch hitter Freddy Galvis, who had started the inning off with a walk, moved up to second base on Schneider’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, and then stopped at third base on pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr’s single, and Mayberry, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 7-3 lead. The Phils then added to their lead three batters later as Wigginton hits an RBI double, knocking in Pierre, who had earlier doubled, then was able to get back to second base on Pence’s fielder’s choice grounder to pitcher Chris Schwinden, avoiding the tag, giving the Phils an 8-3 lead, while sending Pence, who was safe at first on the fielder’s choice, would stop at third base. The Phils then took a 10-3 lead as Victorino hits a two-run single, knocking in both Pence and Wigginton. The Mets began a rally in their half of the ninth as Duda hits a lead-off home run, his seventh home run of the season, and his second of the game, making it a 10-4 Phils’ lead. The Mets then made it a 10-5 Phils’ lead four batters later as, with one man on, and with two men out, Andres Torres hits an RBI double, knocking in pinch hitter Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who had just singled. The Mets then cut the Phils’ lead down to 10-6 as Murphy hits an RBI single, scoring Torres. But that would be the final score as Jonathan Paplebon finally ended the inning by getting Wright to ground out, 4-3, for the game’s final out.

Cliff Lee received yet another no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Antonio Bastardo (2-1, 1.84) got the win as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while he struck out one. Jose Contreras collected his four hold of the season as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Raul Valdes pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on three hits. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Dillon Gee also received a no-decision as he went sixth and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out five. Bobby Parnell collected his first blown save of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on one hit. Jon Rauch (3-4, 4.09) took the lost as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, as he struck out one. Tim Byrdak pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a walk. Ramon Ramirez pitched to three batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up three runs on three hits. Chris Schwinden pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins (2 Singles, Home Run, 3 RBIs) and Juan Pierre (2 Singles, Double) leading the ballclub with three hits each, followed by Ty Wigginton (Double, Home Run, 2 RBIs) with two hits. Hunter Pence (Single), Shane Victorino (Single, 3 RBIs), Mike Fontenot (Single), Brian Schneider (Double), pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz (Home Run, 2 RBIs) and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. (Single) having the other six Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks in the game.

The Phils hold off a Cubs’ rally in the ninth to win their fifth straight game, and their sixth in seven games, as they defeat the Cubs, 8-7.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with two men out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had started the game off with a single, then moved up to second base on Juan Pierre’s slow ground out, 6-3, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Shane Victorino, who had earlier walked, up to second base. The Cubs would tie the game up at one-all in their half of the first as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Starlin Castro hits a sacrifice fly, scoring David DeJesus, who had started off the inning with a double, then moved up to third on Tony Campana’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3. The Phils retook the lead in the second as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Roy Halladay, a walk by Rollins, moving Halladay up to second base, and a single by Pierre, moving both runners up a base, and with one man out, Victorino hits an RBI ground out on a soft grounder to first, three-unassisted, scoring Halladay, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Rollins up to third base, and Pierre on to second base. The Phils then took a 4-1 lead as Hunter Pence hits a two-run single, scoring both Rollins and Pierre. The Phils then made it a 5-1 lead in the fifth as, with a man on third, and with nobody out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Pence, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third on Cubs’ pitcher Casey Coleman’s wild pitch. The Cubs got a run back in the seventh as Castro hits a lead-off home run, his second home run of the year, making it a 5-2 Phils’ lead. The Phils increased their lead in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Halladay, who had started the inning off with a single, moved up to second base on Rollins’ walk, then move over to third base on Cubs’ catcher Wellington Castillo’s passed ball, and Rollins, who had earlier walked, then moved to second base on Castillo’s passed ball, would both score on Cubs’ pitcher Blake Parker’s throwing error of Pence’s grounder back to the mound, giving the Phils a 7-2 lead, while Pence would end up on second base on the costly error. The Phils then took an 8-2 lead as Ruiz hits an RBI double, scoring Pence. The Cubs would get a run back in their half of the eighth as Castillo would hit a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 8-3. The Cubs then made it an 8-6 Phils’ lead as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to lead-off man Campana, Campana moving up to second base on defensive indifference, a walk to pinch hitter Jeff Baker, and Ian Stewart being hit by a pitch, moving both men up a base, and with two men out, Castillo hits a three-run double, knocking in Campana, Baker and Stewart. The Cubs then cut the Phils’ lead down to 8-7 as Darwin Barney hits an RBI single, scoring Castillo. That would end up being the final score as Johnathan Papelbon recorded his eleventh save of the season by getting Reed Johnson to ground out, 5-3, for the game’s final out.

Roy Halladay (4-3, 3.22) got the win as he went eight innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while striking out four. Jake Diekman pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs on a hit, two walks, and a hit batter. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his eleventh save of the year as he went a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Chris Volsatd (0-6, 7.46) took the loss as he pitched just two innings, as he gave up four runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out just two batters. Casey Coleman pitched four innings, giving up a run on four hits, a wild pitch and a walk, while striking out two. Blake Parker pitched one and two-thirds innings, giving up three unearned runs on two hits and a passed ball, along with a very costly throwing error, while he struck out two. Michael Bowden pitched an inning and a third, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz (3 Singles, Double, 3 RBIs) leading the team with four hits, as he raised his average to .363. Juan Pierre (Singles), Hunter Pence (Single, Double, 2 RBIs) and Roy Halladay (Singles) followed with two hits apiece. Jimmy Rollins, Hector Luna, Freddy Galvis and pinch hitter Mike Fontenot had the other four Phils’ hit, all singles. Shane Victorino knocked in the final Phil RBI with a ground out, while the last two Phils’ runs came in on a two-base throwing error. The Phils also collected five walks in the game, along with two stolen bases as part of a double steal in the first inning by Victorino (12) and Ruiz (1).

The Phils (20-19, 5th National League East) will begin their first Interleague Play series with a night game tonight against the Red Sox (18-20, 5th American League East). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (5-1, 2.28), who is coming off a win against the Padres on May 13, as he threw seven strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and three walks, while striking out five, in the Phils’ 3-2 win. He will be going out to win his sixth start while trying to continue his early season dominance. The BoSox will counter with Daniel Bard (3-4, 4.30), who is coming off a win against the Indians on May 13, as he threw six strong innings, giving up a run on six hits and four walks, while striking out two, in the Red Sox’s 12-1 rout. He will be trying to start off the series for the Red Sox with a win. The Phils will be looking for their sixth straight victory since their fiasco series with the Mets.

The Phils win their fourth straight game for the first time this season as the offense explodes for six runs in the ninth inning as they defeated the Cubs, 9-2.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Freddy Galvis hits an RBI double, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on John Mayberry, Jr’s soft grounder near the plate, 2-3, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Cubs took the lead in the fourth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Alfonso Soriano hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Bryan LaHair, who had reached second base on Juan Pierre’s two-base fielding error as he allowed LaHair’s fly ball to hit off of his glove, giving the Cubs a 2-1 lead. The Phils would tied the game up at two-all in the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI infield single, beating the throw to first by second baseman Darwin Barney, although replay would show that the umpire might have made a bad call, knocking in Kyle Kendrick, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Pierre’s double, while sending Pierre, who had just doubled, on to third base. The Phils then took the lead in the eighth as, with one man out, a still red hot Ruiz hits a solo home run, his seventh home run of the year, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Phils then put the game away in the ninth as, with the bases loaded, via a double by Galvis, his second of the ballgame, Mike Fontenot being hit by a pitch, and a walk to Jimmy Rollins, moving up a base both Galvis and Fontenot, and with nobody out, Ty Wigginton hits a two-run single, knocking in both Galvis and Fontenot, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead, while sending Rollins up to second base. Four batters later, with the bases once again loaded, after a double steal by Rollins and Wigginton, with Rollins stealing third, and Wigginton stealing second base, and with an intentional walk to Ruiz, and now with two men out, pinch hitter Hector Luna busted the game wide open with a grand slam home run, his first home run of the season, as well as his first hit of the season, scoring Rollins, Wigginton and Ruiz, giving the Phils a 9-2 lead. That would end up being the final score as Raul Valdes pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out LaHair, swinging, for the game’s final out.

Kyle Kendrick received a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits, as he struck out four. Jose Contreras (1-0, 8.00) got the win as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo collected his eighth hold of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Raul Vlades pitched a 1-2-3 inning, also striking out two Cubs. Matt Garza also received a no-decision as he went six and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and a walk, as he struck out two. James Russell pitched a third of an inning, walking a batter, while striking out one. Shawn Camp (2-2, 3.43) took the lost as he gave up a run on a hit, as he struck out two. Scott Maine pitched to three batters, getting none of them out, giving up three runs on a hit, a walk and a hit batter. Michael Bowden pitched an inning, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Juan Pierre (Single, Double), Carlos Ruiz (Single, Home Run, RBI) and Freddy Galvis (Doubles, RBI), all leading the team with two hits apiece. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Ty Wigginton (Single, 2 RBIs), Shane Victorino (Single, RBI), Kyle Kendrick (Single), pinch hitter Mike Fontenot (Single) and pinch hitter Hector Luna (Home Run, 4 RBIs), had the other six Phils’ hits, with both Fontenot and Luna getting hits in their first official at-bats as a Phil, as the offense decided to break a tight game open in their last at-bat.

The Phils (19-19, 5th East) will be playing the final game of their two-game series with the Cubs (15-22, 5th Central) tonight. The game will be played at Wrigley Field, and is to start at 8:05 pm EDT (7:05 pm CDT). The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (3-3, 3.20), who is coming off a lost against the Padres on May 12, as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up just two runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out ten, in the Phils’ 2-1 lost. Halladay will be out to end his personal three-game losing streak, while trying to lead the Phils to their five straight win. The Cubs will counter with Chris Volstad (0-5, 6.92), who is coming off a lost against the Brewers on May 12, as he pitched six innings, giving up six runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out a batter, in the Cubs’ 8-2 lost. He will be trying to lead the Cubs to a split. The Phils will be looking for a series sweep before coming back home for their first interleague game series.

The Phils present nightmare continues as the bullpen allows another lead to slip away, before they are swept by the Mets, losing 10-6.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with two men on, and with two men out, Cliff Lee hits an RBI infield single, scoring Brian Schneider, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Freddy Galvis’ single, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Glavis, who had just singled, up to second base. The Mets tied the game up at one-all in the third as, with two men on, and with two men out, Daniel Murphy hits an RBI double, knocking in Dillon Gee, who had been safe on first on a 1-3 force out as Ron Johnson, who had earlier singled, is wiped out at second base for the inning’s second out, before moving up to second base on Andres Torres’ walk, while sending Torres, who had just walked, up to third base. The Phils retook the lead in the fourth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Galvis hits an RBI ground out, 4-3, scoring Placido Polanco, who had started the inning off with a single, moved up to second base on John Mayberry Jr.’s singled, then went to third on Brian Schneider’s ground out, 3-unassissited, giving the Phils’ a 2-1 lead, while sending Mayberry, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Schneider’s ground out, up to third base. The Mets retied the game at two-all in the sixth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, David Wright hits an RBI single, knocking in Torres, who had started the inning off with a triple. The Phils retook the lead in their half of the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Galvis hits an RBI double, knocking in Schneider, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Phils then made it a 4-2 lead as pinch hitter Laynce Nix hits an RBI single, scoring Galvis. The nightmare than started in the seventh as the Mets cut the Phils’ lead down to 4-3 as, with a runner on first, and with nobody out, Justin Turner hits an RBI double, knocking in pinch hitter Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who had started the inning off with a walk. Two batters later, with the bases loaded, via a double by Ike Davis, sending Turner to third, as he waited to be sure whether center fielder Shane Victorino would be able to catch Davis’ fly ball or not, and a walk to Johnson, and with still no one out, Lucas Duda forces in a run as he is hit by the pitch, scoring Turner, tying the game up at 4-all, while moving up a base both Davis and Johnson, leaving the bases loaded. The Mets then took a 5-4 lead as Torres hits into a 4-6 force out, wiping out Duda at second base for the inning’s first out, as Davis scores, while moving Johnson up to third base. The Mets then increased their lead in the eighth as, with a man on second, and with nobody out, Scott Hairston hits an RBI double, knocking in Wright, who had started the inning off with a double, giving the Mets a 6-4 lead. The Mets then made it a 9-4 lead as, now with two men on, as Justin Turner reached first base on right fielder Hunter Pence’s fielding error as he took his eye off the ball at the last moment, while Hairston stayed at second base, and with one man out, Davis hits a three-run home run, his fourth home run of the year, scoring both Hairston and Turner. The Phils would get a run back in their half of the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Galvis hits an RBI triple, his first career triple, knocking in Polanco, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Schneider’s ground out, 4-3, making it a 9-5 Mets’ lead. The Mets would get that run back in the ninth as Torres hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season, giving the Mets a 10-5 lead. The Phils would get that run back in their half of the ninth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Pence hits an RBI triple, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on pitcher D.J. Carrasco’s wild pitch as Juan Pierre strikes out, swinging, for the inning’s first out, making it a 10-6 Mets’ lead. That would end up being the final score as Carrasco got Polanco to end the game with a ground out, 6-3, for the final out.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out six. Kyle Kendrick received his first blown save of the season, before taking the lost (0-3, 7.32), as he went an inning plus two batters, giving up five runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batter. Jose Contreras pitched an inning, giving up two runs on a hit, as he struck out one. Brian Sanches pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, as he struck out a batter. Dillon Gee also received a no-decision as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on ten hits, while he struck out four. Tim Brydak (2-0, 3.72) got the win as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only batter that he would face. Manny Acosta received his first hold of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Jon Rauch pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. D.J. Carrasco pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a wild pitch, as he struck out a batter.

The Phils had fifteen hits in the game, with Freddy Galvis leading the team with three hits, a single, double, and triple, as he knocked in three runs. Jimmy Rollins, Juan Pierre, Placido Polanco and Brian Schneider all followed with two hits each, all singles. Hunter Pence (Triple, RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), Cliff Lee (Single, RBI) and pinch hitter Laynce Nix (Single, RBI), had the other four Phils’ hits, as the offense continue to grind out hits, but are once again let down by the bullpen.

The Phils (14-18, 5th) have the day off today, although they did have a team meeting after last night’s game where Charlie gave the players a piece of his mind over how they have been playing lately.

Carlos Ruiz’s best offensive day of his career is ruined by the pitching staff being unable to nail down several different leads before finally losing to the Braves in extra-innings on a Chipper Jones walk-off two-run home run, 15-13.

The Phils took the lead, while batting around, in the third as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Placido Polanco’s single, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Polanco, who had just singled, up to third base. Three batters later, now with the bases loaded, after Victorino had stolen second base, and with a walk by Hunter Pence, and with two men out, Laynce Nix hits a bases clearing double, knocking in Polanco, Victorino and Pence, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with one out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI double, knocking in Ty Wigginton, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 5-0 lead. The Phils then took a 6-0 lead as Freddy Galvis hits an RBI double of his own, scoring Ruiz. The Braves then came roaring back in their half of the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Chipper Jones, Erik Hinske and Tyler Pastornicky, and with one man out, Michael Bourn hits an RBI single, knocking in Jones, making it a 6-1 Phils’ lead, while moving both Hinske and Pastornicky up a base. The Braves then made it a 6-2 Phils’ lead as Martin Prado followed with an RBI infield single, knocking in Hinske, while moving up both Pastornicky and Bourn, as the bases remained loaded. Two batters later, as the bases stayed loaded, and now with two men out, Brian McCann hits a grand-slam home run, his fifth home run of the season, tying the ballgame at six-all. The Braves then took the lead in the sixth as, with two men on, and with one man out, pinch hitter Jason Heyward hits a two-run single, knocking in Hinske, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Pastornicky’s double, and Pastornicky, who had just doubled, giving the Braves an 8-6 lead, while knocking Phils’ starter Roy Halladay out of the ballgame. The Phils would regain the lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Ruiz hits a two-run home run, his fourth home run of the season, scoring Wigginton, who had earlier walked, then stopped at second base on pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr.’s single, and pinch hitter Mayberry, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 9-8 lead. The Phils would increase their lead in the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via infield singles by Pence and Wigginton, with Pence stopping at second base, and a walk by Mayberry, and with two men out, Ruiz hits a bases clearing double, scoring Pence, Wigginton and Mayberry, giving the Phils a 12-8 lead. The Braves came back again in their half of the eighth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Pastornicky hits an RBI single, knocking in Dan Uggla, who had earlier singled, then reached second base on Rollins force attempt, fielding error on Jones’ grounder, making it a 12-9 Phils’ lead, while sending Jones, who was safe at first on Rollins’ error, up to second base. Two batters later, after Heyward had walked, loading up the bases as the runners both moved up a base, and with still one man out, Bourn walked to forced in a run, as Jones scored from third, making it a 12-10 Phils’ lead, while moving both Pastornicky and Heyward up a base, leaving the bases loaded. The Braves would then tied the game up at twelve-all as Prado would hit a two-run single, knocking in both Pastornicky and Heyward, while sending Bourn on to third base. The Braves then took a 13-12 lead as Freddie Freeman hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Bourn. The Phils would tie the game up at twelve-all in the ninth as, with a runner on second, and with two men on, Victorino hits an RBI infield single, as he beat out shortstop Jack Wilson’s throw to first, as pinch hitter Juan Pierre, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stole second base, would score all the way from second base. The Braves would then win the game in the eleventh as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Jones hits a two-run walk-off home run, his fourth home run of the year, scoring Uggla, who had started the inning off with a single, giving the Braves a walk-off win.

Roy Halladay received a no-decision as he went five and one-third innings, giving up eight runs on twelve hits, as he struck out five. Joe Savery pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face, while striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo collected his third hold of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Jose Contreras pitched a third of an inning, as he gave up four runs, three of which were earned, on two hits and a walk, as he struck out one. Michael Schwimer blew his first save opportunity of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. Brian Sanches (0-1, 9.00) took the lost as he pitched two innings, plus two batters, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk, while he struck out two. Tommy Hanson also collected a no-decision as he went three and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on eight hits, two walks and a hit batter, while he struck out three. Cristhian Martinez pitched an inning and a third, giving up two runs on three hits. Livan Hernandez pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Eric O’Flaherty blew his second save attempt as he pitched an inning, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk, while he struck out a batter. Kris Medlin pitched an inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk. Craig Kimbrel blew his first save attempt of the season, as he gave up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out two. Jonny Venters pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Chad Durbin (1-0, 8.00) gets the win as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.

The Phils had seventeen hits in the game with Placido Polanco (Singles), Shane Victorino (Singles, 2 RBIs) and Carlos Ruiz (2 Doubles, Home Run, 7 RBIs) all leading the ballclub with three hits apiece, followed by Ty Wigginton (Singles) and Laynce Nix (Single, Double, 3 RBIs) who had two hits each. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Hunter Pence (Single), Freddy Galvis (Double, RBI) and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr, (Single) having the other four Phils’ hit. With his seven RBI night, Ruiz because the first Phils’ catcher to knock in seven runs in one game. The Phils also had five walks and two stolen bases (Victorino (8), pinch hitter Juan Pierre (4)), on a night when the offense was let down by the pitching staff and by the defense (Rollins’ fielding error in the eight that helped open up the flood gates in that inning).

The Phils (12-13, 4th) have just completed playing their final game of the series with the Braves (15-10, 2nd).

The Phils’ offense picked up the momentum from the previous night’s ninth-inning rally by striking for five extra-base hits, including three home runs, as they supported a good start by Vance Worley as they defeat the D-backs, 8-5.

The Phils broke up a 0-0 tie in the fourth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the year, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who was safe at first on a force out, 4-6, as Pete Orr, who had started the inning off with a single, was wiped at second base for the inning’s first out, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead three batters later as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Laynce Nix hits a two-run bomb of his own, his first home run of the season, knocking in Ty Wigginton, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead. The D-backs got a run back in the fifth as Cody Ransom hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 4-1. The Phils made it a 7-1 lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Nix and Brian Schneider, a sacrifice bunt by pinch hitter Placido Polanco, 1-4, moving both runners up a base, and a soft fly ball single to left by Juan Pierre, although the Phils’ broadcasters mention that the umpires may have made the wrong call, and with one man out, Orr hits a bases clearing triple, knocking in Nix, Schneider and Pierre. The D-backs tried to come back in their half of the seventh as, with one man on, and with nobody out, pinch hitter Ryan Roberts hits an RBI double, scoring Willie Bloomquist, who had started the inning with a double, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 7-2. Gerardo Parra cut the Phils’ lead down to 7-3 as he followed with an RBI double of his own, scoring Roberts. Two batters later, after Parra had stolen third base, and now with one man out, Justin Upton hits an RBI ground out, scoring Parra, and making it a 7-4 Phils’ lead. The Phils would get a run back in the eighth as Shane Victorino hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the year, giving the Phils an 8-4 lead. The D-backs would get that run back in their half of the eighth as Jason Kubel hits a lead-off home run, his third home run of the year. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon nailed down his sixth save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, getting Aaron Hill to fly out to right for the game’s final out.

Vance Worley (2-1, 2.16) got the win as he pitched six strong innings, giving up just one run on five scattered hits and a walk, while he struck out six. Jose Contreras pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on three hits, while he struck out a batter. Antonio Bastardo collected his first hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Chad Qualls pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, as he struck out the side. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his sixth save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Josh Collmenter (0-2, 9.82) took the lost as he went six innings plus two batters, giving up six runs on nine hits, while he struck out six. Bryan Shaw pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while he struck out a batter. Mike Zagurski pitched two innings, giving up a run on a hit, as he also struck out one.

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Laynce Nix (Singles, Home Run, 2 RBIs) leading the team with three hits, raising his batting average to .333. Juan Pierre (Singles), Pete Orr (Single, Triple, 3 RBIs) and Brian Schneider (Singles), all followed with two hits apiece. Hunter Pence (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Shane Victorino (Home Run, RBI) and Ty Wigginton (Double) had the other three Phils’ hits, as the batters erupted for five extra-base hits (Double, Triple, 3 Home Runs), which were responsible for all eight Phils’ RBIs. Hopefully this is a precursor to a better offense.

The Phils (8-10, 4th East) will conclude their three-game series (and their road trip) with an afternoon game against the D-backs (9-9, 4th West). The game will be played at Chase Field, and is to start shortly. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (2-1, 2.95), who is coming off a win against the Padres on April 20, where he went six innings, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 4-1 win. He will be out to give the Phils the series win, and a spilt of the road trip. The D-backs will counter with Trevor Cahill (1-1, 2.84), who is coming off a lost against the Braves on April 20, as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out just two, in the D-backs’ 9-1 lost. He will be out to silent the Phils’ suddenly hot bats. The Phils will be out for a spilt of their road trip, while hoping that the bats will stay hot.

The Phils wasted another good effort by Cliff Lee, as they are unable to capitalize in extra-innings, before finally losing to the Giants on a walk-off single, thanks to a defensive error, 1-0.

The Phils and Giants spent the first ten innings of last night’s game in a 0-0 pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starter Cliff Lee and Giants’ starter Matt Cain, although the later would then leave the game for a pinch hitter, and then Giants’ reliever Santiago Casilla, as Cain held the Phils to two hits and a walk, while striking out four, as he kept them from getting anything started, while Lee would throw ten scoreless innings, giving up seven scattered hits, as he struck out seven Giants, while getting out of a runners on the corners, nobody out, jam in the first, and a runner on second, no man out, jam in the fifth, before being taken out of the game for a pinch hitter in the top of the eleventh. The Phils then threaten to take the lead in the top of the eleventh as Carlos Ruiz started the inning off with a lead-off double, before going on to third on Freddy Galvis’ sacrifice bunt, 1-4, putting the go-ahead run on third, with less than two outs. But the Phils would be denied as first pinch hitter Jim Thome would strike out, swinging, for the inning’s second out, and then pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. would end the inning by grounding out, 6-3, for the inning’s final out. That would come back to haunt the Phils as the Giants started a rally going in their half of the eleventh as, with one man out, Brandon Belt got on base with a single to center field. Then, Angel Pagan followed with a grounder to third base which had doubleplay written all over it, but was instead booted by the third baseman, Ty Wigginton for a fielding error, allowing Belt to reach second base, and Pagan to reach first, with still one man out. The Giants then won the game as Melky Cabrera hits a walk-off RBI single to right, scoring Belt, who would beat right fielder Hunter Pence’s throw to the plate, giving the Giants the extra-innings, walk off, 1-0 win.

Cliff Lee got a no-decision as he pitched ten scoreless innings, giving up seven hits, while striking out ten. Antonio Bastardo (0-1, 4.50) took the lost as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Matt Cain also received a no-decision as he pitched nine scoreless innings, giving up only two hits and a walk, while striking out four Phils. Santiago Casilla threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Sergio Romo pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Javier Lopez pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face. Clay Hensley (1-0, 0.00) got the win as he got out the only batter that he would face.

The Phils had only four hits in the ballgame, singles by Hunter Pence, Ty Wigginton and Freddy Galvis and a double by Carlos Ruiz, as they were very effectively handled by Giants’ starter Matt Cain and the Giants’ bullpen. The Phils sadly hurt themselves by not being patient during the whole game, as they only took one walk. I hate to say this so early in the season, but it needs to be said, this team is only going to win games if they act a bit more patiently at the plate, and that includes being willing to take walks. Otherwise, this is going to be a long season even before either Chase Utley or Ryan Howard comes back from their injuries.

The Phils (5-7, 5th East) continue their trip out west with the first game of a four-game set with the Padres (3-10, 5th West), presently the worst team in the majors. The game will be played at Petco Park, and is to start tonight at 10:05 pm EDT (7:05 pm PDT). The Phils will send to the mount Vance Worley (0-1, 3.75), who is coming off a lost against the Mets on April 14, as he would pitch six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and four walks, while striking out five, in the Phils’ 5-0 lost. Worley will be trying to bounce back from his previous start, while trying to give the Phils a chance to end their present slide. The Padres will counter with Joe Wieland (0-1, 10.80), who is coming off a lost against the Dodgers on April 14, as he would pitch five innings in his major league debut, giving up six runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out one, in the Pardes’ 6-1 lost. He hopes to do better in his second career start. The Phils’ offense will be out to show that not all rookies can give them fits the first time they see them, while trying to end their present two-game losing streak.

The Phils are shutdown offensively by Mets’ pitching as they lose to the Mets, 5-0.

The Mets take a quick 1-0 lead as, with two men out, David Wright hits a solo home run, his second home run of the year. The Mets added to their lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Daniel Murphy, a single by Wright, with Murphy stopping at second base, and a single by Ike Davis, sending Murphy to third base, and with Wright stopping at second base, and with nobody out, Jason Bay hits into a 6-4-3 doubleplay, wiping out Davis at second base, as Murphy scores, giving the Mets a 2-0 lead, while Wright would stop at third. The Mets then made it a 4-0 lead as Lucas Duda hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the year, knocking in Wright. The Mets added to their lead in the ninth as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Ruben Tejada hits an RBI single, scoring pinch hitter Mike Baxter, who had earlier walked, then stole second base, giving the Mets a 5-0 lead, before stopping at second base on the throw to the plate. That would end up being the final score as John Mayberry, Jr. flies out to center for the game’s final out.

Vance Worley (0-1, 3.75) took the lost as he went six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and four walks, while striking out five. David Herndon and Antonio Bastardo combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Herndon), while striking out three (Herndon (1), Bastardo (2)) between them. Michael Stutes pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and two walks, while striking out one. Jon Niese (2-0, 2.13) got the win as he went six and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up five hits and a walk, while striking out five. Bobby Parnell and Jon Rauch combined for two and one-third scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Parnell) between them, while striking out a batter (Rauch).

The Phils had only six hits in the ballgame, all singles, by Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins, Ty Wigginton, Freddy Galvis and pinch hitter Juan Pierre. The Phils also had a walk, as the offense seems to have been derailed after their ten run outburst in the previous two games.

The Phils (3-5, 4th) will conclude their series with the Mets (6-2, 2nd) this afternoon with a game already in progress, with the Phils presently trailing.

An error on a strikeout, and a leaky bullpen allows the Pirates to pull off another walk-off win against the Phils as they lose in the bottom of the ninth, 5-4.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits an RBI double, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Jimmy Rollins’ ground out, 3-unassisted, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the fourth as, with one man out, Pence hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Pirates got a run back in the fifth as Pedro Alvarez hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season, making it a 2-1 Phils’ lead. The Phils increased their lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and with two men out, Juan Pierre hits a two-run single, knocking in Ty Wigginton, who had earlier walked, then went to second base on Freddy Galvis’ sacrifice bunt, before going on to third as second baseman Neil Walker committed a missed catch error on pitcher Jared Hughes’ throw, and Galvis, who was safe at first on Walker’s error, before going on to second base on the error, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. The Pirates got a run back in their half of the seventh as, with a runner on first, as Alvarez reaches first base on a strikeout, as Wigginton committed a fielding error on Brian Schneider’s throw for the out attempt, and with two men out, Casey McGehee hits an RBI double, scoring Alvarez, making it a 4-2 Phils’ lead. The Pirates then made it a 4-3 Phils’ lead as Alex Presley hits an RBI single, knocking in McGehee. The Pirates then tied the game up at four-all in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, pinch hitter Matt Hague hits an RBI single, his first major league hit, scoring Andrew McCutchen, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, while sending pinch hitter Yamaico Navarro, who had earlier walked, on to second base. The Pirates then won the game in the bottom of the ninth as, with a man on third, and with two men out, McCutchen hits an RBI single, scoring pinch runner Josh Hamilton, who was pinch running for McGehee, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Presley sacrifice bunt, 2-4, giving the Pirates a 5-4 walk-off win.

Vance Worley received a no-decision as he went six strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out five. Michael Stutes collected his first hold of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up two unearned runs on two hits, while striking out two. Kyle Kendrick picked up his first hold of the year as he went a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Antonio Bastardo received his first blown save of the season as he went two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out two. David Herndon (0-1, 13.50) took the lost as he went two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while he struck out a batter. James McDonald also received a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks, while he struck out three. Jared Hughes pitched an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and two walks, while striking out a batter. Evan Meek pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out one. Joel Hanrahan (1-0, 0.00) got the win as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two.

The Phils had just five hits in the ballgame, with Juan Pierre (Singles, 2 RBI) and Hunter Pence (Double, Home Run, 2 RBIs) both leading the ball club with two hits each. Shane Victorino (Single) had the other Phil hit, a single. The Phils also had two stolen bases as Pierre and Victorino were involved in a double steal. The offense is performing some early small ball. Sadly it is not translating into runs, as they are presently leaving too many men in scoring position.

The Phils (1-2, 3rd) will start their first home stand of the season with a three-game series with the Marlins (1-3, 4th). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and it will start at 1:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound for their home opener Cole Hamels (0-0, -.–) who ended 2011 with a 14-9 record with an ERA of 2.79 and a WHIP of 0.99. He pitched in 32 games, all but one of them as a starter, throwing a total of 216 innings, in which he struck out 184 batters, while walking only 44. Cole will be trying to continue where he left off last year, while trying to end the Phils present losing streak. The Marlins will counter with Anibal Sanchez (0-0, -.–), who is coming off a 2011 season with a record of 8-9, with a 3.67 ERA and a WHIP of 1.28. Sanchez started in 32 games, for a total of 196.1 innings, striking out 202 batters, while walking just 64. He will be trying to stop the Marlins early slide. The Phils will be trying to end their first losing slide, after spoiling two straight quality starts with so-so offense.

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